Eatman: Cowboys close to signing Carolina Guard

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Midswat

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IRVING, Texas - While Kyle Orton might be the biggest name linked to the Cowboys on Wednesday, and cornerback Brandon Carr could potentially sign for the biggest contract, the biggest player added to the mix here in free agency could be guard Mackenzy Bernadeau.

Terms of the deal have not been announced. Bernadeau came into Dallas Tuesday night to meet with club officials and the coaching staff. He remains at Valley Ranch on Wednesday and has been touring the facility, alongside new offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

The four-year veteran has been primarily a backup with the Panthers but does have 20 career starts under his belt, including 12 in 2010. Bernadeau played in 15 games last season for Carolina, with only one start.

The 6-4, 308-pound guard from Bentley College is expected to compete for a starting spot across an offensive line with a lot of question marks. The team has an abundance of young interior linemen in Bill Nagy, David Arkin and Kevin Kowalski. The Cowboys still have Kyle Kosier under contract, while both Montrae Holland and Derrick Dockery are unrestricted free agents.

The Cowboys were never seriously in the running for Saints free agent guard Carl Nicks, who signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal with the Bucs on Tuesday. The other top guard in free agency is Baltimore's Ben Grubbs, who is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of Nicks' contract.
 
Theebs

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proof no one has any real sources....

not even archer knew he was there.

said this morning they have not had any discussions on any offensive lineman......and the guy was there last night....

just goes to show the team tells the reporters only what they want to tell them.
 
cmd34

cmd34

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eh. Hopefully the Pro Scouts know and like something about him we just don't know about.
 
Bob Sacamano

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I've never gone from wanting to fap it to wtf? faster than I did seeing the thread title and then opening it.

Thought it was gonna be Geoff Schwartz.

But hey, there's still time left.
 
Bob Sacamano

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Positives: Has a developing frame with good bone structure, adequate muscle definition, thick calves and thighs, V-shaped upper body and muscular biceps … Has shorter than ideal arm length, but displays large hands to lock on and control (just needs to develop better hand usage) … Lacks explosion off the line of scrimmage, but has shown good agility to pull and trap in the short area … Has good knee bend and body torque angling to locate second-level defenders … Smart player with the vision to quickly pick up stunts and knows enough about everybody's responsibilities to call blocking assignments up front … Lacks aggression and has failed to dominate at this low level, but does work to finish … Has good balance and pulling speed and is quick to recover and bounce up when knocked down … Has some quick twitch in him on drive blocks, showing the light feet and body movement to react well to movement … Lacks the thud to jolt defenders with his hands, but shows good body lean to occupy the defender … Needs to cover more ground in his pass movements when playing tackle, but stays on his feet with better agility when setting up in pass protection at guard … Has started developing a better feel for using his momentum to wash out the defender when attempting to position and sustain … Does not fire off the line, but has the feet to get in front on the short sweeps, showing good lower body flexibility when shuffling his feet to push the pile … Does a good job of getting on the linebackers when pulling, but is more comfortable as a position-and-turn type … Will look defenders up working downfield, but does struggle vs. quicker opponents, especially when playing on the edge … Needs to be more physical using his hands when he's engaged, but when he sinks his pads and anchors, he can get through trash and stalemate the bull rusher … Will sometimes get his weight too much forward, causing him to lunge and over-extend, but has the balance to recover … More of a grabber than puncher at this time, but has the weight room figures to indicate that strength won't be an issue (just needs to learn hand technique) … Has just adequate change of direction agility, but has decent body control in his kick slide (still not as smooth as his athletic ability would suggest when crossing over at the X's).

Negatives: Gets a marginal drive off the line of scrimmage and needs to do a better job of using and placing his hands in pass protection (short-arms quite a bit, which lets slippery defenders bounce off his reach blocks) … Showed improvement with his aggression as a senior, but at his level of play, he should have played with a nastier streak and dominated the action better … Good on short pulls and traps, but when he narrows his base, he struggles to adjust moving to the second level … Must generate a stronger punch and keep his hands more active to fend off the defender, as he absorbs too many hits on the top part of the body, despite his good reach (must keep his hands inside the frame better) … Fails to generate much pop or explosion with his hand punch … Best playing inside, as he struggled with speed moves on the edge because he struggled to position and adjust in space … Gets put back on his heels vs. a strong bull rush, as he lacks the upper body strength to adjust once engaged … Still a work in progress with his lateral slide, but he has shown better ability for taking proper angles … His adequate footwork is exposed when he has to handle the quicker three-tech types … Will need time to develop proper hand technique and will need at least a year in the training room to improve his overall bulk, strength and flexibility … Made good progress with his rehab, but is coming off a left knee injury that sidelined him for his last four games.

Compares To: BRIAN WATERS-Kansas City … Like Waters, a team will need to patiently develop Bernadeau, who is coming from a small college program and has never faced top-level competition. As a tackle, he would have big problems even getting into a training camp, mostly due to marginal strength and a lack of aggression in his pass set. He needs to start taking on a mauler's mentality, but he at least showed better aggression as a trap blocking guard than he did as a finesse-type tackle. Late in the draft, a team can
 
Theebs

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superpunk said:
Kosier part deux
Keep reading...

seems a little bit like him....kosier was a sure fire starter though who could play tackle or guard at the time...

but this could be nice insurance when we get to the summer if kosier cant play and needs to be cut...since we will have no other veterans on the interior on the roster
 
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Theebs said:
seems a little bit like him....kosier was a sure fire starter though who could play tackle or guard at the time...

but this could be nice insurance when we get to the summer if kosier cant play and needs to be cut...since we will have no other veterans on the interior on the roster
Keep reading...

all I remember is we were getting castoffs from DET/SF two of the worst franchises in the league. but Kosier fit with us and was a great pickup. Hopefully we get that from this guy.
 
Theebs

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superpunk said:
all I remember is we were getting castoffs from DET/SF two of the worst franchises in the league. but Kosier fit with us and was a great pickup. Hopefully we get that from this guy.
Keep reading...

yep. I have a feeling he could be our swing guard, veteran player as a backup.....

although it is odd to sign backups on the second day of free agency I would imagine..
 
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I don't see the Kosier comparisons at all.

Kosier was an established starter.

This guy started, and got benched on a team with a horrid Oline.
 
cmd34

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Midswat said:
I don't see the Kosier comparisons at all.

Kosier was an established starter.

This guy started, and got benched on a team with a horrid Oline.
Keep reading...

I don't think their O line play was horrid, just that their Guards weren't getting the job done, which is what he is, so your point remains.
 
Bob Sacamano

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The Panthers were balling in '09 when he was starting some games for them, both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart went over 1,100 yards rushing that year. Went downhill with Clausen at QB, and so did the running game in '11.

I think the scouting report on him that I posted put it succintly. Gonna have to work with the guy, and apparently the coaches feel his time is now. Mixed bag.
 
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